South Sudan petitions Security Council

The government of South Sudan has launched an official petition to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), demanding immediate withdrawal of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) from parts of the south, a minister announced on Tuesday. Nhial Deng Nhial, the foreign affairs minister also called for the immediate release of southern soldiers allegedly taken as prisoners as well as an appeal for Khartoum to cease all form of aggression likely to trigger a return to war. "We urge the international community to exert more pressure on the Government of Sudan and ask them to respect the sovereignty of South Sudan and its territorial integrity. That is all," Nhial told a press conference in Juba, the South Sudan capital. While giving a chronology of the series of attacks allegedly carried out by SAF in several parts of South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity state, the foreign affairs minister said his government has directed its forces to expel these northern forces from its territories, but added that dialogue remains the best option. For instance, In a November 28 attack at Um-Dolwich agricultural scheme in Renk County, Upper Nile state, Nhial said four SPLA soldiers were killed, one went missing and another taken prisoner. The southern army, he claimed, had already succeeded in securing most of the territories previously invaded by their northern counterparts, citing Jaw, and area located on the north-south border, which was recently occupied by SAF. Continuous provocation from the north, he told journalists, could result into war between the two nations, after the bitterly fought a two-decade conflict halted by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). "We will not attack president Bashir directly, but if his forces continue invading our territories, then we will have no option since we have to protect our territories and our citizens," said the foreign affairs minister. Meanwhile, Nhial denied reports that the southern government had asked the US government to declare a no-fly zone over South Sudan, saying such a decision could only be mandated by the UNSC. The Kenyan Africa Review this weekend published statements attributed to the South Sudan foreign affairs minister saying that President Salva Kiir demanded the American administration to establish a no-fly zone along the border with the Republic of Sudan. Sudanese officials reacted to the report calling on Juba to stop its support to Sudanese rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile instead of requesting US protection. The head of political sector in the ruling National Congress Party went on to say that Juba admitted its defeat by the Sudanese army. The Sudan Armed Forces have captured Jau in Unity state, South Sudan last Saturday saying they took control of the headquarters of South Kordofan rebels. Khartoum also alleged that SPLA soldiers are fighting with the rebels.